This application is the national phase of international application PCT/FR98/02115 filed Oct. 2, 1998 which designated the U.S.
The present invention concerns an electrical household appliance for culinary preparation, of the food processor type, having a body comprising a motor block, a working receptacle provided to receive a rotatable working element driven by the motor block, as well as a lid capable of being locked onto the working receptacle.
By electrical household appliance for culinary preparation, of the food processor type, there is meant an appliance provided to produce chopped preparations, mixtures, or even grated or sliced preparations.
The document EP 0 549 818 describes an electrical household appliance for culinary preparation comprising a working receptacle locked onto a body by means of a bayonet attachment system, a lid locked onto the working receptacle by means of a bayonet attachment system, the lid having a tongue engaging in a slot of a housing forming a projecting part of the body to actuate a safety device which allows functioning of the appliance.
Such a construction permits the working receptacle to be maintained on the body during operation of the appliance and avoids mechanically urging the actuating tongue of the safety device, but presents the drawback of requiring that the user perform two locking movements associating each with a precise positioning of the receptacle with respect to the body, or of the lid with respect to the receptacle, followed by a rotation of the receptacle with respect to the body, or of the lid with respect to the receptacle. Such a construction also requires that the user hold the body of the appliance or the receptacle when he wished to remove the receptacle from the body of the appliance or even to unlock the lid from the receptacle. In addition, when the lid has a hollow shaft provided for introducing ingredients into the working receptacle, the position thereof is determined by the position of the lid which permits operation of the appliance. The user cannot choose the position of the lid.
The document FR 2 340 706 describes an electrical household appliance for culinary preparation having a base whose upper part constitutes a seat for receiving a removable accessory, such as a vegetable slicer, said accessory having a housing forming a working receptacle and a lid covering the housing. The lid is locked by means of two diametrically opposite bolts of the type called knuckle (joint), each having a hook of which the tip comes to engage with an ear of the base and which is articulated to the lid by the intermediary of a pivoting stirrup interposed between a boss of this lid and the extremity of the hook opposed to its tip. The motor is controlled by a switch whose operating element is situated on the upper part of the base and is actuated by means of a push button movably mounted on the hook of the lock, by the intermediary of a transmission mounted in the housing of the accessory.
This construction presents the drawback of providing an appliance having a working receptacle having transmission means serving to actuate the motor of the appliance. Cleaning of said receptacle is not facilitated by this arrangement. In addition, a precise positioning of the lid, of the working receptacle and of the base of the appliance is necessary to proceed with locking of the lid on the base.
The document FR 2 370 456 describes an electrical mixer having a working receptacle disposed on a base and closed by a lid, locking of the lid being assured by an operating lever pivoting around a horizontal axis and being applied by a movable bearing against a locking lever, which pivots around a fixed bearing and comes to bear against the lid. The fixed bearing can be moved freely through a determined distance in the axial direction. Starting from said fixed bearing, a control shaft guides a switch up to an actuating button of the circuit controlling the motor of the appliance.
Such a construction offers the advantage of providing an appliance in which the lid can be disposed on the working receptacle without a precise orientation, the working receptacle being able to be equally disposed without a precise orientation on the base. This construction presents, however, the drawback of controlling locking and unlocking by rotation of a lever around a horizontal axis, which presents a risk of throwing the appliance off balance during the operations of locking or of unlocking, if the appliance is not held sufficiently during operation of the lever. In addition, the utilization of a pivoting lever which comes to bear on the top of the lid in order to lock the cover on the body is difficult to envision for constructing an appliance in which grated or sliced preparations will be produced, the ingredients of which are introduced through a hollow shaft formed in the lid, and in which the lid can be positioned on the working receptacle over a large range of orientations.
The object of the invention aims consequently to provide a remedy to the different drawbacks enumerated previously and to furnish an electrical household appliance for culinary preparation which is particularly easy to use.
Another object of the invention aims to provide an electrical household appliance for culinary preparation which offers a great freedom of positioning of the lid with respect to the working receptacle.
Another object of the invention aims to provide an electrical household appliance for culinary preparation of which the unlocking can be effectuated with a single hand.
Another object of the invention aims to provide an electrical household appliance for culinary preparation which offers a great freedom of positioning of the working receptacle with respect to the base of the appliance.
The objects of the invention are achieved with the aid of an electrical household appliance for culinary preparation, of the food processor type having a body forming a base provided to receive a working receptacle in which can be disposed a rotatable working element driven by a motor disposed in the body, a lid provided to close the working receptacle, and means for locking the lid onto the working receptacle disposed on the base, in which the locking means have at least two jaws movably mounted on the body between a locking position in which they engage the lid to lock it vertically and an unlocking position in which the lid can be withdrawn, these jaws being movable against at least one restoring means toward one of the two positions, the appliance having unlocking means mounted for movement on the body between a rest position in which the jaws are capable of locking the lid on the receptacle, and an active position in which the jaws are brought into their unlocking position, or inversely, the jaws and the unlocking means being movably mounted on the lid and the jaws engaging with the body to lock the cover on the receptacle.
Thus, a user desiring to lock the lid on the working receptacle of the appliance simply places the lid on the working receptacle. Locking is obtained when the jaws take their locking position. No particular manipulation of the lid is necessary to obtain the locking. It results therefrom that the appliance according to the invention is particularly simple to use.
According to a first embodiment, the unlocking means and the jaws are mounted in the body, the jaws engaging with the lid.
According to a second embodiment, the unlocking means and the jaws belong to the lid, the jaws engaging with the body.
Advantageously, the jaws are mounted symmetrically with respect to the vertical axis passing through the center of gravity of the receptacle and of the lid.
This disposition permits an effective locking of the lid to be assured.
Advantageously, the lid and at least the top of the receptacle have a geometry of revolution.
This disposition permits creation of a locking device without indexing. The user does not have need to orient the lid in a precise position in order to obtain locking of said lid.
According to a principle of construction, the jaws are associated with elastic restoring means, the restoring position being the locking position.
According to another principle of construction, the jaws are associated with restoring means formed by an unbalanced mass or elastic restoring means, the restoring position being the unlocking position.
According to one form of construction, the unlocking means act against a restoring means.
Advantageously, the unlocking means are formed by an unlocking button having a path along an axis substantially parallel to the direction of introduction of the working receptacle onto the base, such a disposition permitting a displacement or an unbalancing of the appliance to be avoided during operation of the unlocking button.
The jaws can be mounted to be movable radially between their locking position and their unlocking position, or be mounted to be movable in rotation. Advantageously, the jaws are two in number.
According to a construction principle, the appliance has blocking means movable between a rest position in which the jaws are capable of locking the lid onto the receptacle under the action of the restoring means, and an active position in which the jaws occupy their unlocking position, as well as release means arranged to act on the blocking means to cause them to occupy their rest position.
This disposition has the advantage of permitting locking and unlocking by using only one hand.
According to another construction principle, the jaws have a beveled edge provided to cooperate with the lid or the body to push back the jaws in opposition to the restoring means during introduction of the lid onto the receptacle disposed on the base.
This disposition presents the advantage of permitting locking by a simple vertical movement of positioning the lid on the receptacle.
The working receptacle and the body can have lower rotation blocking means.
This disposition aids the blockage against rotation of the receptacle with respect to the body and prevents the receptacle from being driven in rotation by the material of the preparation, for example during preparation of dough.
Advantageously, the lower rotation blocking means are formed by corrugated annular ribs arranged under the bottom of the receptacle, said annular ribs being provided to cooperate with radial ribs formed on the base of the body.
The ribs combined with the locking means blocking the lid vertically with respect to the body are sufficient to obtain a blockage against rotation of the receptacle with respect to the body. Thus, the user does not need to lock the receptacle on the body. In addition, ribs corrugated in a periodic manner permit a positioning without precise indexing of the receptacle on the base.
Advantageously, the appliance has elastic means, mounted on the lid or the receptacle, said means being capable of being deformed when the lid is locked on the receptacle, and of raising the lid of the receptacle when the jaws are brought into the unlocking position.
This arrangement causes withdrawal of the lid to be easier.